Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout and Arizona Diamondbacks lefthander Wade Miley are Sporting News’ 2012 American League and National League Rookies of the Year, respectively, as selected by a panel of 203 major league players.

Perhaps the only surprise in the AL voting is that Trout wasn’t a unanimous winner. Upon making his debut on April 28, he immediately energized what had been a lackluster Angels offense.

Despite not turning 21 until August and spending the first several weeks of the season at Class AAA, Trout led the majors with 49 stolen bases and 129 runs. He finished second in the AL with a .326 batting average, and third in the AL with a .399 on-base percentage and a .564 slugging percentage. Trout also contributed defensively, making numerous highlight-reel catches, including several homer-robbing grabs.

Trout and Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera are considered the front-runners for AL MVP honors and finished 1-2 in Sporting News’ Player of the Year voting (those results will be announced Friday).

The NL rookie race, meanwhile, was far from a sure thing, as several productive newcomers jockeyed for position all season. Among them: Washington Nationals center fielder Bryce Harper, who debuted the same day Trout was called up in late April and shined as a teenager; and Cincinnati Reds infielder Todd Frazier, who helped the team thrive despite the two-month absence of first baseman Joey Votto.

But Miley, who got far less media attention than the playoff-bound Harper and Frazier, was even more impressive. He finished tied with Yu Darvish for the major league lead in wins among rookies with 16 and led all rookie starters with a 3.33 ERA. His 144 strikeouts were tops among NL rookies.

“It’s an honor coming from the players,” Miley says of the award.

Miley, 25, led the Diamondbacks’ rotation in wins, ERA and WHIP (1.18). So, what were the secrets of his success?

“Getting to know the guys more, they helped me out a lot, coming in and knowing what I had to do. Building confidence and having success early out of the bullpen. It’s a huge team effort with the guys always pumping you up, and the relationship I had with (catcher) Miguel Montero just helped that much more,” Miley says.